Machines such as a wheel loaders, wheeled scrapers, track-type tractors, on and off-highway haul trucks, motor graders, and other heavy equipment generally include hydraulic systems that facilitate different operations of the machines, including steering, braking, and implementation operations, among others. Hydraulic systems generally include an assembly of components that work together to deliver pressurized hydraulic fluid to drive the operations of the machines. Typically, hydraulic systems include a fluid tank dedicated to holding and filtering a desired supply of hydraulic fluid.
During operation of the machine, hydraulic fluid housed in the fluid tank can churn and splash onto a top portion of the fluid tank. The hydraulic fluid can enter a filter element located within a breather, which can accelerate the wear of the breather and reduce its durability. Hydraulic fluid entrained in the air can also be discharged into the environment. The entrained hydraulic fluid can coat the surface and internal pathways of the breather, as well as the surrounding fluid tank surface. This coating can attract dust, dirt, and other pollutants, which can accumulate in the internal pathways of the breather and block the passage of air into and out of the fluid tank. This can undermine the breather's ability to maintain the fluid tank at a desired pressure, which can result in structural damage to the fluid tank. Additionally, the discharge of hydraulic fluid into the environment can present environmental concerns. The accumulation of dust, dirt, and other pollutants on the breather and the surface of the fluid tank can also result in an aesthetically displeasing appearance.
One attempt to reduce the splashing of undesirable fluids within a tank is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,841,691 to Wilson (“the '691 Patent”) that issued on Jan. 19, 1932. The '691 Patent discloses a tank that includes a stamped metal disk extending from a top of the tank. The stamped metal disk includes inclined sides intended to prevent the splashing of liquids near the top portion of the tank and a small central opening for the passage of air. To exit the tank through the breather, air laden with vapors must pass through the small central opening, a row of apertures along vertical walls of a washer, and a receptacle with a perforated bottom to reach an absorbent material. The absorbent material absorbs the undesirable vapor, entrains the air with moisture, and discharges the moisturized air into the atmosphere. A pan is positioned above the stamped metal disc to further preclude any liquids that manage to splash up through the small central opening and to return the liquids back to the tank.
Although adequate for some applications, the configuration disclosed in the '691 Patent may be less than optimal. This is because the small central opening may be too small to properly maintain atmospheric pressure in the tank. Additionally, liquids splashing and churning in the tank may reach the small central opening and further block the passage of air. Similar blockage may occur when liquids striking the stamped metal disk are returned to the tank via the small central opening.
The splashguard of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.